


Not Quite Gay

by orphan_account



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23515081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Rich finally wakes up long enough to have a conversation with Jake.And then Michael visits Jeremy, but I haven't written that part yet.
Relationships: Jake Dillinger/Rich Goranski
Kudos: 20





	Not Quite Gay

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this was probably done already, but whatever. The next chapter will be boyf riends.

Jake stared at the ceiling. His legs hurt like hell, but it was pretty easy to ignore them. It was harder to not think about… pretty much everything else. His parents… how he was now homeless (thanks a lot, Rich)... and, well, Rich. Who Jake saved, by the way. That’s how he broke his legs.

“Jake?” Jake jumped, nearly falling off the bed.

“Rich!” Jake said, sitting up. “Uh, hi.”

“Right. Hi.” Rich didn’t bother sitting up- it probably would’ve hurt, Jake reminded himself.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Jake couldn’t help thinking about the play- he’d been squiped, like almost everyone else. That was why he was back in the hospital- walking on broken legs could seriously mess them up. (Surprise surprise.)

Eventually, Jake asked the question that’s been on his mind for a long time. “You’ve had the Squip for longer than any of us. You took it voluntarily. Why?”

Rich didn’t look at him, didn’t give any signs that he heard. Jake waited patiently until _finally_ , Rich sighed.

“I liked somebody, and I thought the Squip would help me get in a relationship with them. I was wrong. All I did was hurt them.”

“Hey, I’m sure it’s fine,” Jake said. “If your intentions were good, and that person isn’t a squip- ooh, that’s totally an insult now- then hopefully they won’t mind. Unless you, like, seriously messed up their life.” 

Jake thought that was a pretty good response- normally he would’ve answered less maturely, but Rich made it sound like this was really important to him.

Unfortunately, Rich was looking at him like Rich seriously messed up this person’s life.

“Well, do you still like them?” Jake said.

“I think so? Honestly, the Squip kinda made it… confusing.”

“In what way?” Jake asked curiously. “Like, a bad way?”

“It made it seem like being with them wasn’t good for me, and it said it knew what was really good for me… and it did the opposite of what I wanted it to do.”

“What did it do? Better question, who did you want to get together with? Don’t worry, I’m really good at keeping secrets. Also, why are we saying _them_? Are they non-binary?”

Jake finally realized that he’d been ranting, and shut up.

Rich just stared at him, as if deciding whether or not to answer his questions. Jake waited, trying to seem trustworthy.

“He’s a boy,” Rich said slowly. “The Squip doesn’t accept same-gender relationships, though. Which I don’t like, I support LGBTQ.”

“Like Michael!” Jake offered. “He’s gay, too.” 

Rich nodded absently. “I’m not even sure if I’m, like, gay or whatever, though. Gay just doesn’t seem to fit me.”

“Hey, that’s fine,” Jake said. “There’s other sexualities.” 

“And the Squip did this weird optic changing thing because it knew I liked him, because it didn’t want me to get with a boy.”

“It’s probably homophobic.” Jake smiled, but Rich didn’t even seem to notice the comment.

“It made it seem like I liked girls, though, and I think I do like girls. I don’t know what that says about my sexuality.”

“Uh… not gay, then.” Jake shrugged.

“And then I burned the boy’s house down, and I couldn’t even really think about that until the Squip was gone, and now I feel super bad.”

Jake stared at Rich, the words catching him off guard. “Wha-”

But Rich was on a roll, and wasn’t about to stop. “I mean, his life was already hard enough without me making him homeless. He broke both his legs, which was already bad enough.”

“Hang on, the boy is-” Jake started, still trying to process Rich’s words.

“But then I Squiped him because my Squip told me to, and I listened for some unexplainable reason.”

“-Me?” Jake finished.

“Then he walked on his broken legs and messed them up, and I just keep thinking that everything was my fault, and I ruined his life!” Rich finally seemed to notice that he said all that out loud.

Jake was staring blankly at Rich, thinking.

“I- it’s fine if you don’t feel the same,” Rich said quickly. “I don’t deserve you anyway, I burned your house down and indirectly nearly caused the end of the world-”

“I’m pan,” Jake interrupted. “I like all genders. Maybe you are too. And, uh, the house thing… well, it’s fine. I never liked that house anyway. And I, uh, don’t really know what to say, except… I like you too.”

Rich, who’d been holding his breath, finally exhaled in relief. “Pan. Huh. I don’t think that fits me either. So, uh, lunch? When all this blows over?”

“Sure.” Jake smiled.

“Uh, hi?” Michael said from next to Jeremy. He was grinning, like he totally shipped them (which he did).

“Michael!” Jake said quickly. “Hi! Uh, how long did you happen to be standing there?”

“At least half the time. Neither of you even noticed me coming in! You’re really cute together, by the way.”

Rich was flushing, but still smiling. “There’s no chance that you’re gonna keep this a secret?”

“Ugh, I guess I can keep it a secret... not to Jeremy, though. Really, I didn’t think you two would ever come out! I’ve been shipping you two ever since the play. No offense, but before that Rich didn’t seem to deserve you. No offense.”

“None taken,” Rich said. “I was kinda….”

“A squip?” Jake offered, smirking.

“A squip,” Rich agreed.

“What?” Michael said.

“It’s the new hottest insult!” Jake explained. “I made it up myself.”

“Nice.”

“Well,” Rich said, and yawned. “I’m going to bed. Long day, you know.”

“You were awake for, like, half an hour,” Jake said.

“As I said. Long day. Night!” Within the next minute, Rich was snoring. Jake smiled fondly and laid down.

His last thought before drifting off was, _Finally_.


End file.
